Universal’s been unambiguous about its desire to see a Snow White and the Huntsman 2, but it’s been less clear about the direction it wants that sequel to take. After the studio fast-tracked the follow-up in June, news broke in August that Snow White (Kristen Stewart) could but cut out of the equation altogether — only for the studio issue a denial and insist that they were still “exploring all options.”

Now it looks like they’ve finally made a decision. Stewart is following up last month’s comments about the “strong possibility” of her return with an actual confirmation. More details after the jump.

First Universal spun the classic Snow White fable into an action-adventure tentpole pic with equal billing for the Huntsman, and now fairy tale princess is about to get dropped from the equation altogether. Even before Snow White and the Huntsman opened, the studio was lining up plans for a sequel. And as of today, that follow-up is still moving forward — only it’s being reconfigured to focus on Chris Hemsworth‘s Huntsman, cutting Kristen Stewart‘s Snow White out completely.

While there are undoubtedly a number of factors that have gone into this decision, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the news comes weeks after Stewart was discovered to be having an affair with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders. It’s unclear whether Sanders will be returning to the helm for the spin-off. More details after the jump.

Snow White and the Huntsman was a slightly rushed production, and a (more than) slightly frustrating viewing experience, but it might be performing well enough that Universal is really going forward with a sequel. The studio started talking to David Koepp about scripting a sequel in the last couple months, and Koepp is now scripting a Hunstman sequel that Universal is looking to fast-track.

Who will direct? Rupert Sanders who made his feature debut with the first movie, is a very possible choice, but he isn’t locked yet. Read More »

No, it wasn’t just you — Men in Black 3, entertaining as it was, made no sense at all. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that starting the shoot without a completed sequel did not help. Also after the jump:

So does this mean that Charlize Theron‘s evil queen doesn’t die at the end of Snow White and the Huntsman? We had some idea that Universal envisions the movie as the beginning of its own Lord of the Rings-style action/fantasy franchise, and the very good response to Huntsman footage so far has pushed the studio to move forward with plans for a sequel.

And so Universal is now in talks with David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Premium Rush) to write a Huntsman sequel. Read More »